Coinciding with the Library’s Words of war: conflict in Welsh literature exhibition, Dr David Moore will be talking about one of the most interesting periods in both the literature and the military history of Wales, namely the eleventh and early twelfth centuries.

This was a time of renaissance in the literature of Wales – the Mabinogi, Geoffrey of Monmouth, the Gogynfeirdd, and much more. It was also a time of bitter warfare involving not only the Welsh themselves but also Normans, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and others, all of whom had their own perspectives on events.

What can we learn from the literature about warfare in Wales at the time? Gerald of Wales was responsible for many of the ideas now common in the popular imagination, but how do his observations compare with what we know from other literary sources? Was Gerald right to portray the Welsh as militarily unsophisticated, relative to the Normans? Was their method of fighting really that different, and if so, why? And was warfare in Wales really as brutal as he claimed? Both sides learned from each other, and also from the often ignored Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. Free admission by ticket. (Cynfelyn)… (more)